Fiber optic cables are often joined to one another, or connected to receiving devices, using connectors wherein the end of the light waveguide fiber is fixed in a capillary of a plug pin. The front end of each such pin is coplanar with the end of the optical fiber, and a protective fastening sleeve is provided that is connectable with for example, a rack wall, a slide-in module wall, or a coupler for another cable. The sleeve acts as a guide bush for the acceptance of the plug pins, and its outside circumference is threaded for fastening the plugs, which are provided with union nuts.
A fiber optic plug connector of this type is disclosed in EPA 0 164 531. In this interchangeable plug connector, a hard metal sleeve is provided as guide bush. The sleeve has precisely machined inside surfaces that correspond in size to the outside diameters of the plugs, which are insertable into the sleeve from both sides.
Previously known connectors, however, make no provision for misalignment of the fibers, or optical centers, of the cables to be connected. Such misalignment occurs when the optical center of the cable end is eccentric with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cable. Such eccentricity may be due, for example, to variations in cable manufacturing tolerances. If the optical center of a cable is misaligned with the apparatus with which it is connected, light passing through the connection is attenuated, and transmission quality may be degraded.